Looking at the schedules of the weekend’s SEC slates last weekend, it seemed like it might be a weekend to just mail it in. Everybody knew how these matchups were going down. Georgia was dead, UT was on life support, right? Ah, they each picked up sweeps. So all that momentum that Florida, Vandy and Arkansas had? Yeah, they went 0-9.

If not for LSU finally picking up a sweep, predictably over last place Ole Miss, it might have just flat out been opposites week in the SEC.

Instead, we’re trying to reconfigure a mixed-up SEC. Here’s where they stand.

14. Ole Miss (21-19, 3-15)

The Rebels actually didn’t play that badly against LSU, taking the Tigers down to their last strike before losing the series finale. But a sweep was an outcome the Rebels couldn’t afford, as they now fall into range where qualifying to play in Hoover starts to look unlikely. Ole Miss now hosts a suddenly red-hot Georgia and a series that looked competitive a week ago now looks difficult.

13. Missouri (23-16, 5-13)

The Tigers were swept by Alabama, managing just 10 runs in total. Mizzou has hit just .215 in SEC play (a full 23 points behind 13th-place Ole Miss) and is 13th in SEC play in home runs and 14th in runs. The pitching has kept them in games (2 losses to Bama were by 1 and 2 runs, respectively) but this offense is morbid. A series at Florida is unlikely to change momentum in the short term.

12. Mississippi State (23-17, 6-12)

State came into the Auburn series having won its 2 consecutive series and looking to pull back into the SEC race. After a 2-1 loss in the opener, State then won 11-10 and lost 12-11. Making matters worse, they actually led Auburn 7-0 in the middle of the 4th inning of Game 3 before finding a way to lose the game and series. The way to defeat? The pitching staff with a 9.34 ERA in conference play (a run and a half per game worse than 13th-place Auburn). Next up is a trip to surging Tennessee, a home series with Arkansas and a trip to No. 1 LSU. The Bulldogs not make it to Hoover, either.

11. Auburn (23-16, 7-11)

By the same token, Auburn got a big series win, but if they have to scratch back from 7-0 deficits to pick up series wins, it’ll be a long rest of the year. A trip to Carolina and then hosting LSU come up next on the schedule. The good news is the Tigers then end the year going to Ole Miss and hosting Mizzou. Those matchups might help the pitching staff round into form ahead of what could be a bubble situation for NCAA Tournament purposes. Cooper McMurray comes off a 5-homer week and seems likely to do his part to keep the good times rolling.

10. Georgia (23-17, 7-11)

On the other hand, Georgia looked to be falling out of the NCAA Tournament picture entirely … only to sweep Arkansas over the weekend. Thursday, the Dawgs jumped out to a 6-2 lead and held on for dear life in a 6-5 squeaker. Friday starter Charlie Goldstein dominated in his 6 scoreless innings, setting up an easy 7-3 win. Saturday featured a 5-run 9th inning to sweep the series, with Connor Tate tying the game with a grand slam only for Parks Harber to follow by walking it off.

Georgia still has to play Tennessee and LSU, but next they head to Ole Miss with a chance to draw to near .500 in league play and boost their burgeoning NCAA Tournament hopes.

9. Alabama (29-12, 9-9)

The Tide swept Missouri and somehow don’t move up in our power rankings? Unfortunately, the teams ahead of the Tide that fared badly aren’t going to drop to 9th in the league. The best news for Bama is that reaching .500 puts them in very good NCAA Tournament shape. Bama now boasts the 2nd-best ERA in the league in conference play (4.46, trailing only South Carolina). That’s the good news. The bad news is that the next pair of weekend series matchups are at LSU and home against Vandy. Finishing with A&M and Ole Miss leaves Bama still in decent position to finish at or very near .500 in SEC play.

8. Kentucky (30-9, 11-7, No. 15 in Baseball America)

Meanwhile, Kentucky fades to 8th in the league off a tough series loss to Texas A&M. Is Kentucky really the SEC’s 8th-best team? No, they could well be better … but it’s hard to put the Wildcats ahead of a Tennessee team that swept Vandy or the A&M squad that just beat UK in Lexington. Kentucky continues to hang around games, but their pitching staff is having some trouble with the strike zone.

UK walked 23 A&M batters over the weekend and it cost them in the late Saturday game, when UK was an out away from a win that would have ended up winning the series. Basically, for UK, small ball can work, but you can’t give away runs via the bases on balls. The other bad news for UK is the Wildcats finish with at Vandy, home against South Carolina, at Tennessee, and home against Florida. Ouch.

7. Tennessee (26-14, 8-10)

When the Vols lost 12-5 to Tennessee Tech, the weekend set with Vandy looked like a possible breaking point. Well, it may have been, but if so, it wasn’t one for UT.

The Vols outscored Vandy 31-9 in a shocking sweep. Tennessee’s bats had been quiet, but they woke up in a hurry. UT is 4th in the SEC in ERA in conference play (Chase Dollander was spectacular again, allowing 1 earned run with 9 Ks in 7 innings in a 17-1 victory in Game 2), and when the hitting comes to life, suddenly the Vols look like they could be Ole Miss 2022 version 2.0. Hosting Mississippi State next, the Vols could well be above .500 in SEC play when they were clinging to life before last weekend.

6. Texas A&M (25-15, 9-9)

The Aggies worked their way back to .500 in league play by outlasting Kentucky with some clutch hitting. A&M benefitted from patience at the plate, but that’s not unusual. The Aggies are 3rd in the SEC in batting average in conference play (.276) and lead the league in walks. The next 2 weekends will be rough with a trip to Arkansas and then hosting Florida, but A&M finishes by hosting Alabama and going to Mississippi State.

5. Arkansas (30-10, 11-7, No. 6 in BA)

A week ago, the Razorbacks had swept UT and their pitching staff was looking dominant. But they gave up 22 runs to Georgia in getting swept last weekend. Arkansas has danced around injury issues throughout the year, but it might finally be catching up with them. Matchups at home against A&M and at Mississippi State in the next 2 weeks give the Hogs a chance to get right ahead of a finish hosting South Carolina and going to Vandy. Tavian Josenberger might be key — have to get him back close to well.

4. Vanderbilt (29-11, 13-5, No. 5 in BA)

Vandy’s offense, pitching and defense had all been near dominant. And then, here comes Tennessee. To be fair, it was an awful week all around for Vandy, as it lost 10-2 to Indiana State before facing UT. Vandy’s pitching depth didn’t look so good with 41 runs allowed over the week. The Vandy Boys still lead most offensive categories in conference play, but they have to get right on the mound. Vandy hosts Kentucky and then goes to Alabama in the next weekend matchups, so they could still get right again in a hurry.

3. Florida (31-10, 11-7, No. 4 in BA)

Florida headed into a good matchup with South Carolina with one of the hottest offenses in the nation. But Carolina stopped it cold, outscoring UF 25-10 in their sweep. The Gamecocks held Gators 2-way star Jac Caglianone to 1 HR (his 23rd) and just 2 RBIs at the plate and scored 4 earned runs off him to hand him the loss in the Game 3. Walks continue to be Caglianone’s biggest antagonist on the mound. He walked 6 Gamecocks in 3 innings, giving him 35 in 41 innings this season.

South Carolina’s starting pitching really is that good — the Gamecocks lead the SEC in ERA in conference play. On the other side, UF is hitting just .258 in league play (9th in conference) and the pitching has had some mild struggles. All that said, UF now hosts Missouri and this Carolina series may just be a hiccup in the grand scheme of things.

2. South Carolina (34-6, 13-4, No. 2 in BA)

Well, hello there, Gamecocks. Carolina’s pitching was outstanding in their sweep of Florida. Meanwhile, Ethan Petry broke Carolina’s freshman RBI mark with his 64th of the season. Petry also has 20 home runs — which means he has a chance to break Tommy White’s NCAA freshman record of 27, which White set last year at NC State. And yes, that’s with 15 regular-season games left to go — plus the postseason. USC hosts Auburn this weekend and could put some distance between themselves and the rest of the SEC East. Did we mention that the Gamecocks are 24-1 at home this year?

1. LSU (32-7, 12-5, No. 1)

And LSU finally delivered a sweep — in dramatic fashion, too.

Down 6-4 with 2 outs and nobody on base in the 9th in Oxford, the Tigers went walk, hit by pitch, and then a 3-run homer from pinch-hitter Hayden Travinski on a 1-2 pitch to steal the game.

But it’s that kind of year for the star-studded Tigers.

Dylan Crews leads the nation in hitting .496 (gulp) and dominated Game 2 with a 2-run homer and grand slam; Tommy White mashed a grand slam in Game 1 and continues to lead the SEC in RBIs (66); and Paul Skenes still leads the SEC in all 3 pitching triple crown categories (7 wins, 1.97 ERA, 115 strikeouts). Skenes struck out 11 Rebels in 6 innings in the opener — the 9th time in 10 starts he’s reached double figures in strikeouts.

LSU is leaving no doubt about who is No. 1. In the SEC and beyond.